Dave Pedersen was high on the wheel to earn the checkered flag victory in the IMCA Modified Feature on Sunday in Lexington, Nebraska

‘Where only the best go three abreast’ was the name of the game during an entertaining and fast-paced night of racing action at Dawson County Raceway in Lexington, Nebraska with Dave Pedersen, Mike Nichols, Jesse Sobbing, Dillon Thompson and Dalton Smith dialing up the checkered flag feature wins on Sunday.The Brady, Nebraska Bullet Dave Pedersen started on the front row and was able to stay up front for the juncture of the IMCA Modified Feature to notch the victory. Pedersen led from lap 14, until the checkered flags were waved. David Murray Jr. of Oberlin, Kansas was heavy on the load pedal throughout the contest to make it into the top five, finishing third overall after starting in the fifth row. Murray had worked his way up to fourth place on lap eight, and would skip ahead through the corners to cross the line in second place during lap 17. With only Pederson left in front of him the 97m ran out of laps and settled for runner-up honors. Cozad hotfoot Steve Aitken led the initial 13 laps from his front row starting position. Aitken was able to get his car to fly around the DCR 3/8 mile dirt track and finishing fourth followed by Maxwell’s Charley Brown in fifth place overall. Murray and Chuck Stryker of Eddyville were the heat race winners in early oval action in Lexington. Making the winners circle at Dawson County Raceway a second home once again was Harlan, Iowa’s Mike Nichols in the Stock Car division. Nichols worked the low line to get to the front from his fifth row starting position, but once he got near the front on the waning laps, he went to the cushion to reel in the fastest competitors to snare the lead during lap 15. Nichols ran away with the victory on Sunday in the feature and his heat race. Starting on the pole position Dan Walker of Eddyville paced the field during the opening 14 laps and had a big cushion while leading until a caution flag flew on lap 13. Making the charge from the rear of the field, heat race winner Casey Werkmeister of Maywood earned the third place position on the podium. Wrapping up your top five fastest of the night, was fourth place finisher Jeff Whiting of Gothenburg, Nebraska and Ogallala’s Casey Woken in fifth place, respectively. Putting on a show in the front of the field, and getting to the winners circle was Glenwood, Iowa’s Jesse Sobbing, who won the feature event as well as his heat race for the Northern Sport Mods in North Platte on Sunday. Sobbing sprinted to the top five early on and ran away and hid while leading after lap seven until the checkered flags flew. Heat race winner Colton Osborn of Cozad drove from his fourth row starting position to finish in the runner-up position challenging for the lead on several of the re-starts. Bryan Herrick of Curtis flew around the 3/8 mile oval on the Dawson County Fairgrounds in his rubber duck to finish third overall. Dueling on the dirt during the waning laps, Shane Stout of North Platte and Gothenburg’s Jamey Kennicutt came home in fourth and fifth in the IMCA Northern Sport Mods Feature on Sunday evening. In one of Dawson County Raceways stiffest classes of drivers, Dillon Thompson of Campbell won the Feature in the Plum Creek Motors Hobby Stock division. Thompson led the final nine laps of the feature to bring a smile to the faces of many for Thompson. Fifth row starter Tiffany Bittner of Norfolk, Nebraska gave Thompson nearly every thing he could handle as she finished as the events runner-up in the Hobby Stock division. Last week’s Feature winner Tyler Andreasen of Grand Island continued the hot streak at Lexington with a third place run. Young wheelman Russ Speck of Hastings had his highest finish to date at Dawson County Raceway with a fourth place accolade being earned. Hobby Stock hotshoe Anthony Martin rounding out the top five on Sunday night. Heat race winners were Thompson and Cozad’s Zach Canas. Going four deep was as far as it went in the IMCA Sport Compacts division, with Dalton Smith of Gibbon leading the final three important laps to claim the win. Crossing the finish line in the runner-up position was the Dodge Neon of North Platte’s Jose Sabala. David Dembowski of Grand Island kept his nose away from the miscues to earn the show honors and accolades. --Unofficial Results: Modified Feature: 1. 4p-Dave Pedersen; 2. 97m-David Murray Jr; 3. 7a-Steve Aitken; 4. 4c-Charley Brown; 5. 6c-Cale Osborn; 6. 19-Chuck Stryker; 7. XII-Jay Steffens; 8. 34jw-Cole Hodges; 9. 1x-Cody Blessing; 10. 29e-Brooke Eilts; 11. 13-Ethan Johnson (DNF). Heat 1: 1. 19-Chuck Stryker; 2. 4c-Charley Brown; 3. 7a-Steve Aitken; 4. 1x-Cody Blessing; 5. XII-Jay Steffens. Heat 2: 1. 97m-David Murray Jr; 2. 4p-Dave Pedersen; 3. 6c-Cale Osborn; 4. 34jw-Cole Hodges; 5. 29e-Brooke Eilts.